KUALA Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) is looking at a range of measures to support the running community, from improved facilities and extended park hours to new routes and better use of existing public spaces.
Ideas raised during a town hall session between runners, organisers and city officials included expanding access to public facilities and improving routes popular with runners and cyclists.
The session at Taman Botani Perdana was attended by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Hannah Yeoh, Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Seri Fadlun Mak Ujud and Federal Territories Sports Council chairman Datuk Stuart Michael Ramalingam.
It brought together running clubs, race organisers and sports associations to discuss challenges faced by sports enthusiasts in the capital.
Issues raised included poor lighting, damaged pavements, limited access to toilets and showers, as well as safety concerns along popular training routes.
Pacemakers Malaysia member Pan Vui Jiun said safety remained a key concern for runners, particularly those training along roads in the city centre.
He said runners frequently encountered hazards such as exposed bolts left behind after road dividers were damaged.
“Those roads are not designed for runners.
“But if there can be proper routes or certain sections closed to vehicles, at least runners would feel safer,” he said.
Pan said participation in the club’s weekly runs had grown from small groups of about 10 or 20 runners to almost 300 participants.
Other town hall attendees noted that many runners gathered as early as 5am for training sessions, often before public toilets opened, and urged DBKL to provide better access to shower facilities and drinking water.
A representative from Brand New Waves Running Club said with increased participation in KL Car-Free Morning events, runners, cyclists, skateboarders and families were now sharing the same space, thus creating congestion.
This is worsened when multiple running events occur concurrently on Sunday mornings.
To ease congestion, participants proposed making greater use of existing public spaces, with suggestions such as extending access to major parks, utilising the River of Life corridor and opening more public facilities for training.
Fadlun said DBKL had extended operating hours at Taman Botani Perdana and Taman Tasik Titiwangsa until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, and was studying whether similar arrangements could be expanded to other major parks.
The town hall also produced an immediate outcome for parkrun Malaysia — a free, weekly 5km community event held in public parks and run by volunteers — after Fadlun confirmed that activities at Taman Pudu Ulu could resume.
The Taman Pudu Ulu parkrun ceased operations in 2023 because the organising team was unable to reach an agreement with DBKL.
The event, Malaysia’s first parkrun, previously attracted up to about 150 participants a week, including international visitors.
The town hall session also touched on longer-term plans to improve conditions for runners.
Yeoh said DBKL planned to audit city-centre walkways and pavements, with running clubs helping to identify recurring issues.
She said clubs would be asked to nominate coordinators to serve as contact points for future engagements.
Yeoh said many of the suggestions raised during the session were practical measures that could be implemented after cost assessments, noting that running and walking should be viewed as part of everyday life rather than occasional events.
“If this is a lifestyle, then this is compulsory spending by DBKL,” she said.
